Timeless As The Legend Who Sang It. Mr. Percy Sledge 1940-2015.

 

“When A Man Loves A Women”

This song has gone down in history as one of the most classic love soul ballads of all time. Something they just do not create anymore.

He left us yesterday April 14th but only in body for his voice and this song will reign Forever.

Saturday Solid Gold ~ “Baby Don’t Go ~ Sonny & Cher

 

This will always be the first song I remember hearing from Sonny & Cher and it’s still my favorite.

The memories from it….. forever young.

Friday Freak Flag Flying ~ “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” ~ The Electric Prunes

I will always remember this song as it hit the Detroit airways in 66′. I was living on the east side and although me and my friends still too young at the time couldn’t yet grasp the psychedelic aura, we knew we liked this new wave of strange sounding music coming out of our little transistor radio’s.

Everybody saw it coming!

Future latter-day hippies we definitely would become. LOL

Tuesday Time Machine ~ “I Love You” ~ People

This San Jose California band had one very strange ride from start to finish. This 1968 cover of The Zombies song blasted the european charts to #1 while literally being held down by US radio industry rivalries who hated their manager Mikel Hunter.

Two radio station companies owned by Bill Gavin and Bill Drake were paid off to tell many radio stations and programmers that the song wasn’t going to be a hit and not to play it, but Hunter was a Jock. Black-balling him failed as the song made it into the mainstream by him and others anyway. “I Love You” went to #14 on Billboard Hot 100 & #13 on Cash Box Top 100,. It would have hit #1 here as well if not for all these lunatics.

In reality the band sadly became One Hit Wonders also because of their own label, Capital who refused to release 95% of their own songs they wrote themselves. Citing songs were about drugs and anti-vietnam. Capital was just to conservative for the Rock and Roll times of the late 60s.

Then the story gets even more bizarre as members of the band became involved with the Scientology Cult. Everyone that is others than the bands two singers Gene Mason & Larry Norman. Subsequently Norman quit the band as the song shot through the charts. “People” appeared on American Bandstand & The Tonight Show without him.

The group put out three albums that Capital finally released but never struck another chord like their 68′ hit.

They had one glory, sort of sad because they had one hell of a sound.

Their version exploded and fit in with the psychedelic sound coming out of California. A short nevertheless sweet ride for a while.

 

Motown Monday ~ “Laughing Boy” ~ Mary Wells

 

Written by Smokey Robinson
Released in 1963

Mary had 10 consecutive #1 hits between 1962-63, this should have been number 11.

There is something about this song that puts a smile on my face but in reality every early Motown song does that. A classic period and a classy singer who started off the very long ride Motown had.

Laughing Boy also made you appreciate the Muse behind the singers with Ivory Joe Hunter’s piano, James Jamerson’s bass and the beat of William “Benny” Benjamin’s drums. Music never had it so good.

Saturday ~ “Summer in the City” ~ The Lovin’ Spoonful

The power is still out at my house from Wednesday’s wee hours of the morning typhoon storm. Many Miserable people right now and blogging from elsewhere at moment. And OH how the lyrics of this song is so more than true.

“All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head”.

Sunday Smooth Soul’ ~ “Stay In My Corner” ~ The Dells

Outside of Detroit’s own Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops, Marvin Junior’s almost as smooth baritone vocals made this 1965 release soothing to everybody’s soul. His 17 second note holding on the one word “BaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaBY” made both females cringe and had the males in awe. The 65′ release of this record hit #3 on the R&B Hot Black Singles chart, its re-release in 1968 hit #10 on billboard 100.

The song defined passion and definitely defined “Soul”.

Motown Monday ~ Carolyn Crawford ~ My Smile Is Just A Frown Turned Upside Down

What an awesome voice that fit in perfectly with the Motown sound but sadly just another artist totally ignored and overlooked by Berry Gordy.

Crawford debuted her first single with Motown that she wrote in 1963, “Forget About Me” then with “My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)” Written by Smokey Robinson soon following and charting at #39 on the R&B chart. When her next in 64′ “When Someone’s Good To You” didn’t set Gordy’s own world that was strictly in his mind ablaze she wasn’t resigned and as the same story with a lot of other talented artists that came through the doors of Hitsville nobody ended up being good to her.

Jennifer Grey Absolutely Awesome!

The Song of and World Today. The Knickerbockers ~ Lies

Released in 1965

When this song came out I originally thought along with everybody in America that it was the Beatles.

Sunday Blues ~ Janis ~ Maybe

Released the year I was born ~ 1957

Written by Arelene Smith